For those of you who feel weighed down by the impending turmoil of the upcoming US presidential elections, curators Michele Thursz and Defne Ayas have prepared an exhibit to remind us all that democracy can be both fun and inventive. Democracy is Fun! showcases artist-led actions that respond to our politically tense times by putting both humor and technology to creative use. The seed for many of the actions in the exhibit was the 2004 Republican National Convention in NYC, which sent hoards of artists on a whirlwind of creative protests. The works in Democracy is Fun! are characterized by an appropriation of the media of alternative culture - net art, video art, performance and installation - as tools for awakening the political and social consciousness of the urban masses. Some of you might remember the Experimental Party's online Homeland Insecurity Advisory System, the Imagine Festival of Arts Issues and Ideas, the CoDECK, and the massive Bikes Against Bush protest, which was taken off the streets before it could go online. These and many other projects are at The White Box gallery in Chelsea, NYC, opening on October 21 and running until November 6. - Ophra Wolf